Saving Kane

By: Michele M. Rakes

Narrated by: Brad Langer

A 20-something paramedic suffering from PTSD and a failing relationship with his high school sweetheart becomes embroiled in the tragic life of a young, gay man brutally beaten, raped, and left for dead.

Kane Abel can't help falling for his caregiver, the handsome paramedic who saves his life, but he's resistant. The one time Kane threw caution to the wind, he was left with a wired jaw and a tracheostomy. He can't take much more hurt. But with his attacker's promise to return, Kane lives in a constant state of fear, and with the ever-present paramedic, arousal.

Garrett Young struggles with the question of his sexuality, unable to get Kane out of his mind even as he fights against the demise of his long-time engagement with his girlfriend Amanda. Every day is complicated by his ongoing battle with PTSD and alcoholism, compounded by his fear for Kane's life.

©2014, 2015 Michele Micheal Rakes (P)2015 Michele Micheal Rakes

Breathless! At times, simply breathless!

Any additional comments?

Thank you Michele for Saving Ryan! This book made me aware of every heart beat...one beat ripping the heart with frightening moments of pure terror leaving one breathless and the next beat on the wings of vivid rousing sensual experiences leaving one breathless again...every moment, every beat mixed perfectly with the next. This is not a book for the faint of heart ..be prepared to live the pain, the joy, the anger, the violence, the intensity of love discovered, shared and lost...every single moment. I remain breathless...

amazing

first of all let me say this was a amazing book love the narrator in touch on some issues that happens in a day-to-day basis that people like to sweep under the rug but I love the Twist of love between two people with complex issues I must say this book might not be for everyone but it was amazing read it opened my eyes to a lot of things love love this book

Good book but dark and heavy.

Trigger warnings - non consensual sex and some pretty brutal violence take place in this book and not just in the "off stage" kind of suggested way. It is pretty graphic.

That said, I really loved this book. It is full of some intensely damaged main characters and addresses some pretty heavy stuff. Love the supporting characters and the journey that the two main characters go through to get to their HEA. Not sure I could stomach listening to it over and over due to what Kane goes through - but I probably will listen again because I loved the characters.

Some will need to bypass this due to the trigger issue's but if you can get past them, this book was lovely and well worth both the time and the credit.

Good story, poor narration

An angst-filled, rather distressing story of the psychological impacts of trauma, along with a romance, and a thriller, as the serial killer who failed to kill Kane continues to stalk him. Generally well-written, though some implausible elements of the policing and some of the sexual acts in the book, especially given the physical condition Kane is in following the attack. Nonetheless, this is much better writing than is typical of publishers like Dreamspinner. It's a pity that the quality of the narration is so far below that of the writing.

To give him his due, unlike most of the narrators in this genre, Brad Langer reads fluently and pronounces words correctly. I have given him two stars for that. However, his characterization is terrible. Langer uses the same regional accent for everyone, quite contrary to their descriptions.

The two MCs sound the same, which becomes very confusing during dialogue. Each chapter is told from one or the other MC's POV, which helps to orient the listener at the beginning, but it soon becomes confusing again. The other characters are basically variations on that theme. The gay FBI agent from Seattle, who is described as suave and sophisticated, inexplicably has the voice of film noir detective with a Brooklyn accent. The other characters have cartoonish voices which are such over-the-top caricatures that it really detracts from the book. The women's voices are ridiculous. It sounds like a parody.

His way of conveying emotion is to make the character speak as if on the verge of tears, regardless of how inappropriate that is for the scene. As the tension mounts pretty much everything is voiced in this hysterical manner, turning it into a melodrama and vitiating the author's work in building the tension and emotion. These things add up and by the end they diminish much of the impact of the book, which is very disappointing.